Combined tee holder and ball marker



' Jan. 17, 1967 N; P. SMITH COMBINED TEE HOLDER AND BALL MARKER Filed March 25, 1966 I?! A UM I ANEN'IOA.

NERVIN P. SMITH \mgb ATTORNEY United States Patent 3 293,579 COMBINED TEE HGIZDER AND BALL MARKER Nervin P. Smith, 10600 W. 72nd Court, Miami, Fla. 33156 Filed Mar. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 537,492 3 Claims. (Cl. 224 5 This invention relates to a detachable support for golf tees and a ball marker that is normally supported upon the belt of the user.

The invention contemplates a molded preferably plastic supporting device that is provided at each end portion with cavities into which golf tees are fitted and with a metallic ball marker held within a cavity intermediate the length of the device and with the housing being supported upon the belt by a flexible hook.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 discloses the device in use upon the belt of a golf player,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the device,

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on line 44 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section illustrating a slightly modified form of the device.

In the drawings, the numeral 5 illustrates a molded plastic supporting body, having rounded end portions 6 and with the end portions 6 being cylindrically apertured throughout their length, as indicated at 7, and with the upper ends of the cavities 7 extending inwardly, as indicated at 8, to form a mounting means for yieldable grommets 9. The grommets 9 are apertured at their central portions for frictionally and yieldably receiving the leg portions 10 of conventional golf tees 11, having the usual recessed heads 12. The tees are thus held within the cavities 7 frictionally and prevent the tees from accidentally being lost or accidentally discharged from the cavities. The body 5 intermediate its length has molded therein a magnet 13 and the face of the body 5 is provided with a collar 14, concentric with the magnet 13 and into which is fitted a metallic disk 15, constituting a ball marker whereby the player may mark the position of a ball at a point adjacent to the cup of the green.

Also molded with respect to the body portion 5 is a belt engaging metallic hook 16, having a head portion 17 that extends into the body 5 during the forming thereof and to fixably hold the hook against displacement.

In the use of the device, the body 5 is engaged with the belt 18, as shown in FIGURE 1 whereby to support a pair of golf tees and the ball marker for convenient use by the player. When the player is ready to drive the ball from the tee, a tee 11 is withdrawn from its associated grommets 9 and forced into the ground as is customary after which a ball is placed upon the head 12 of the tee. After the ball has been driven by the player, the tee 11 is retrieved and forced into the grommets 9, frictionally holding the tee against accidental displacement. When the ball has been driven to the green and adjacent the well known cup, it is common practice to mark the position of the ball so as to permit other players to drive toward the cup. When this happens, the ball is picked up and a marker 15 disposed upon the grass or other area of the green to permit other players to approach the cup. After the other players have driven the ball 3,298,579 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 toward the cup, the marker 15 is retrieved and placed within the pocket formed by the rib 14 and is held in such position by the magnet 13.

In FIGURE 5, there has been illustrated a modified form of tee holder that is forced into a cavity or opening 19 and is frictionally held by the side walls of the opening 19, since the body 5 is formed of plastic and the leg 10 of the tee extends downwardly to pass into an enlarged opening 20.

It will thus be apparent from the foregoing that a novel means has been provided for holding golf tees and a ball marker within a molded plastic body. The tees are held at each end of the body 5 against displacement by either the grommets 9 or the recess 19. The device is then supported upon the belt 18 of the user and facilitates the carrying of the tee and the ball marker for subsequent use. The device is simple in construction, is strong, durable and most effective for convenient holding of tees and a ball marker upon the body of the player and avoids the carrying of the tees in the pocket of the user or avoids the use of a metallic coin or the like for marking the ball position adjacent to the cup.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A supporting means for golf tees and a ball marker comprising an elongated molded housing, the ends of which are provided with cylindrical portions, having a cylindrical cavity therethrough, the cavity at its upper end being provided with inwardly extending ribs that support a yieldable rubber grommet that is apertured to frictionally support a pair of golf tees, the intermediate portion of the housing being provided with a magnetic ring and a disk carried by a cavity upon the forward side of the housing that is detachably supported by the magnet, the housing upon its rear side being provided with a metallic hook, having one end embedded into the housing and an outer end adapted to engage a belt portion of the golf player.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the cavities at each end of the housing and the grommet frictionally support the golf tees against accidental displacement, the magnet being of cylindrical shape and molded into the body portion substantially intermediate its length and with the body portion being provided with a ringlike projection upon its forward face, forming a cavity for the insertion of the metallic disk and with the hook having a reversely bent end portion that is molded into the plastic of the body portion adjacent the top thereof, the grommets providing a frictional socket for the tees that are forced through an opening of the grommets to be yieldably held therein and with the leg portion of the tees extending downwardly through the aperture of the body end portions.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the body portion is rounded at its opposite ends and having flat front and rear walls, each of the rounded portions being provided with cylindrical apertures for yieldably supporting a leg portion of the tees.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,955,650 4/1934 Obarski 2245 3,233,802 2/1966 Ludwick 224-5 3,272,412 9/1966 Antonious 224-26 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SUPPORTING MEANS FOR GOLF TEES AND A BALL MARKER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED MOLDED HOUSING, THE ENDS OF WHICH ARE PROVIDED WITH CYLINDRICAL PORTIONS, HAVING A CYLINDRICAL CAVITY THERETHROUGH, THE CAVITY AT ITS UPPER END BEING PROVIDED WITH INWARDLY EXTENDING RIBS THAT SUPPORT A YIELDABLE RUBBER GROMMET THAT IS APERTURED TO FRICTIONALLY SUPPORT A PAIR OF GOLD TEES, THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE HOUSING BEING PROVIDED WITH A MAGNETIC RING AND A DISK CARRIED BY A CAVITY UPON THE FORWARD SIDE OF THE HOUSING THAT IS DETACHABLY SUPPORTED BY THE MAGNET, THE HOUSING UPON ITS REAR SIDE BEING PROVIDED WITH A METALLIC HOOK, HAVING ONE END EMBEDDED INTO THE HOUSING AND AN OUTER END ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A BELT PORTION OF THE GOLF PLAYER. 